Mandolin-banjo

Pollman

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Instrument

Banjo mandolin/Guitars/Strings/Musical Instrument ; Banjo mandolin

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Pollman

Place Made

North America ; United States of America

Date Made

Circa 1895

Description

Technical description: Soundboard of spruce, bookmatched with a curvy grain in places. Bridge of stained maple, 102mm long and 8.5mm wide at the base. Soundhole 65.5mm diameter. Purfling around the soundhole consists of an edging of light rosewood, then strips of rosewood/maple/rosewood, then a band of soundboard wood, then strips of rosewood/maple/rosewood and then a herringbone design in rosewood and maple with a very thin central strip of maple, and then strips of rosewood/maple/rosewood on the outside of that. Symmetrical inlaid pickguard material of light rosewood with the grain running at 90° to the soundboard grain. Edging around the soundboard of light rosewood with alternate strips of maple and rosewood (4 of each) inside. The strings are held at the bottom by a cast brass tailpiece which is screwed to the bottom of the sides. The back and sides are of light mahogany. The sides are bookmatched, and there is an inlaid piece at the bottom join made of strips of rosewood (three strips) and maple (two strips). There is an ebony endpin in the middle. The back is bookmatched, with central inlaid strips of rosewood and maple, matching the strips at the bottom of the sides. The heel, neck and head have a dark stain which obscures the grain, but appear to be of maple. The heel flows smoothly into the neck, and the neck flows smoothly into the head. There are five rosewood friction pegs in the head. The short fifth string passes over the fifth fret and around an ivory button then goes through the fingerboard and into a channel cut into the bottom of the fingerboard before emerging through the bottom of the nut to go to a peg. The nut is of ivory. The fingerboard is of rosewood. The neck is 397mm long, 32.7mm wide at the nut, 45.1mm wide at fret 5, and 49.5mm wide at the body join. There are mother-of-pearl position markers at frets 5, 7, 9 and 12. The total fingerboard length is 467, and there are 24 frets in total. Repair History: Evidence on the head suggests the instrument original had enclosed geared machine heads. Overall size: 896 Body length: 345 Body width, maximum: 269 Body depth: 81 (bottom) - 67 (neck join) String length: 610 (full length strings), 455 (fifth string) On underside of soundboard approximately beneath the bridge: 'Steg'

Notes

A. Macaulay, January 1992; D.P. Martin, 2003.

Measurements

896.

Signature

On underside of soundboard approximately beneath the bridge: 'Steg'

Collection

MIMEd ; Macaulay Collection

Accession Number

0272

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